Nathaniel Tynian
Nathaniel Tynian 'The Ancient', Son of Erisad the Wise, Lion of Rimni, Lord of the Nine Legions, Bane of Gilloria, Protector of the Children of Terel and Scion of Terel, the 24th King and Lord over all of Terelian, Aerin and His Other Realms. The reign of Nathaniel Tynian is the longest on record, ruling for some 20,000 years, almost half of Terelain history. Biography Early Life Nathaniel's early life is fairly unremarkable for a Terelain Prince - his childhood was spent learning the various tools of statecraft required at the time - diplomacy, sword-fighting, horse-riding, astronomy, philosophy, hawking, hunting and other such pursuits. The major figures in his formative years where: his military instructor and friend Captain Moralin of the Royal Guard, Duke Arifel of Amra, one of his father's oldests and most trusted friends and advisors, his parents and the eldest daughter of Arifel - Nariel Amaar. The Great War and the Gillorian Campaign When Nathaniel was merely 15 he got his first taste of real combat - the vast Gillorian Empire that held a joint dominion with the Terelains over Aerin had finally declared war. Nathaniel, in the tradition of the Terelain Monarchy, was allowed to join the troops at the front-line. Early on he distinguished himself for his bravery and loyalty to his men, risking his own life countless times to save the lives of his men, constantly undertaking the most dangerous and crucial missions in the war, this audacity and bravery, and his disregard of class with his fellow brothers-at-arms quickly earned him the respect and loyalty of any man under his command. By the time he'd reached 17, Nathaniel was already in command of some 3,000 men - all battle-hardened veterans who had fought with him, all loyal and willing to fight with him until death. Nathaniel participated in almost every major engagement, siege and battle in the war, earning himself countless medals and awards, this is quite an achievement as it is actually harder for a noble, especially the son of the King, to earn such recognition. The two most notable engagements in which Nathaniel participated where the famous Second Siege of Rimni and the Battle of the Nine Legions. The Second Siege of Rimni occured suring the First Jalaedan Incursion, when a large Gillorian force landed on the southern coast and laid siege to the Fortress-City of Rimni guarding the Great South Pass of the Renala Mountains. The city's garrison had been depleted as troops where drawn away to fighting on other continents, indeed the garrison was somewhere around 1,340 men when the normal garrison was somewhere in the region of 30-50,000 men. In addition to the Terelain defenders, Nathnaiel had sent word to the Southern Dragon Clans once the Gillorian Army began to approach, some 400 Dragons answered his call for aid. The Gillorian Army was made up of around 300,000 men arrayed into three legions, The Second Seige of Rimni is often cited as the third most masterfully orchestrated military victory in Terelain history with the exceptions of the Battle of the Nine Legions and the Fall of Gileren. The Gillorian force was drawn into a full frontal assualt on the city, however they where met by a hail of arrows and balls of fire from the Terelain catapults, once the force had retreated, Nathaniel ordered his men to abandon the first wall and retreat to the shorter second wall as his forces where stretched too thin. When the Gillorians took the first wall, Nathaniel allowed their overconfidence to blind them to the trap he had waiting - once the Gillorians had entered the Lower City and began looting it, Nathaniel ordered his hidden troops to begin ambushing and harrasing the fragmented Gillorian force, drawing them towards his men on the walls, he incurred terrible losses on the Gillorians as his men struck and then faded back into the depths of the city, eventually, frustrated by the losses, the Gillorians made an ill-timed rush at the second wall which was easily repsulsed, after each failured assault Nathaniel allowed the Gillorians to regroup unmolested, after the fourth assualt the Gillorians expected this to continue... And then Nathaniel called in the Dagons. The massive fire-breathing lizards fell upon the Gillorians and incurred horrendous losses, after several more days of atrrition, the Gillorian commanders ordered their troops to quit the city... As they retreated, the Terelain defenders suddenly went on the offensive and routed the demoralised Gillorians, it is estimated that around 290,400 Gillorians where killed or captured that day, compared to fatalities of 204 Terelains and 3 dragons. Six years later, the Third Gillorian Incursion managed to breach the Fortress of Der'Morlain, using their momentum, the Gillorians managed to conquer the city of Oberoth and began looting it. During the Sack of Oberoth, King Erisad the Wise was killed an his wife, Queen Emmerrielle was also murdered whilst pregnant with her fourth child. Upon hearing the news, it is said that Nathaniel broke down and wept, after several minutes he rose and with eyes and heart hardened he ordered his men to begin the long march to Oberoth from the southern tip of Jalaeda - The soldiers had never seen him so angry, many where actually scared of him whenever they saw him... They where force marched to Oberoth where, after seven weeks of travel, they attacked and utterly destroyed the Gillorian Army to a man, the Massacre of Oberoth claimed over 500,000 Gillorian lives. However, once the Gillorian Amy was destroyed, Nathaniel refused to be crowned King until he had conquered Gileren and defeated the Gillorian Emperor, as soon as the three day mourning period after his parent's funeral was over, Nathaniel ordered his men to march, he sent messages across the Terelain Empire - every man capable of wielding a weapon was to aid the war effort, the Great War would end in Terelain Victory. Across Aerin the Terelains embarked on an all-out offensive that shattered the Gillorian lines, within a year they had been pushed back to their home-continent of Giilar and a Terelain invasion was underway. The Battle of the Nine Legions occured in the final year of the Great War, indeed it was the last Great Battle during the war - the entire armies of Terelian and Gilloria where arrayed against each other a mere day's march from Gileren, it was very nearly the entire adult population of both races, armies on a scale never seen before. The battle raged for three weeks, both sides lost thousands each day... It was the single most devastating battle in all of Aerin's history. Eventually, in a stroke of tactical brilliance, Nathaniel managed to completely encircle and destroy the Gillorian Army, effectively erradicating their entire military in a single battle. Finally, the Grand Army of the Terelain Empire arrives at Gileren, the Imperial Capital, Throne-City of the Gillorian Emperors. The Seige of Gileren was the final engagement in The Great War, the massive Terelain army against the small, fanatically loyal Elite Imperial Guard, after days of running battles in the streets, the Imperial Palace was stormed and the Gillorian Emperor executed by Nathaniel himself. As the Emperor's headless body hit the floor, Nathaniel proclaimed himself King of the Terelain Empire of a Unified Aerin and was crowned in the burning ruins of the Palace - the first and only Terelain King not crowned in Oberoth. After 14 years of fighting, The Great War was over. Gilloria lay ruined and Terelian was victorious. Post-War and Advancement Nathaniel encouraged the swift rebuilding and regrowth of conquered territories, within 100 years the rebuilding efforts where completed and Aerin's cities where whole again. Nathaniel became a patron of the sciences and the arts, and under his guidances Terelian enjoyed a Golden Age the likes of which it had not seen for thousands of years, all of Aerin prospered under Nathaniel's benevolent rule; even the Gillorians. For thousands of years Nathaniel nurtured the advancement of the sciences, it was under his rule that Terelian was revolutionised by electricity, telecommunications, factories, mass production and modernisation. Terelian reached for the stars and began to send out interstellar colony vessels, this growth was accelerated by the dicovery of FTL Communications and Travel. Nathaniel also guided the Terelain policy regarding contact with alien species and the sharing of information and of technologies, he also encouraged the study of Atlantean ruins and artifacts and what little of their culture and technology that could be gleaned from them, he is eternally fascinated by the idea of a race even older than the Terelains, this is reinforced by the fact that the Terelains emerged during a relatively quiet time in galactic history - most of the Old Races and Empires had long ago fallen and their successors had yet to find their way amongst the stars. Significant Relationships King Erisad Tynian "the Wise" - Father Nathaniel's rule has been heavily influenced by his father's style and wisdom, it has often been said that "Erisad has had the most impact on Terelain history than any other King in history - He gave Nathaniel his duty and taught him how to lead" Erisad was known as a kindly and benevolent King - always treating those he ruled with respect and always having time to hear the greivances of even the meanest beggar in his Kingdom, he also believed in ruling by example and always taught that it was the duty of the King to serve his people, rather than let others do the work, Erisad was famed for leading his men in the thick of the fighting rather than sitting safe and sound in his command-tent. It was Erisad that taught Nathaniel the aspects of his rule from which he commands the great loyalty and devotion of his people. Queen Emerrielle Tynian - Mother Nathaniel's mother was famed for her beauty, compassion and her singing, it was her that taught her son the gentler aspects of ruling, she also taught him the most subtle nuances of politics, of the court intrigues, the scandals and the political machinations that constantly surrounded the Nobility, it was her practical and shrewd teachings that have made Nathaniel a formidable oppoent politically. Lord Commander Moralin of the Royal Guard - Mentor and Friend Nathaniel's mentor, friend, confidante and sparring partner. A grizzeled war veteran with a tough exterior and, stangely, a scottish accent. Moralin taught Nathaniel his tactics, his swordsmanship and honour. It is from Moralin that he learned the skills which made him a formidable opponent on the field of battle, whether that is the tactical side or in hand-to-hand combat. The Lady Nariel Amaar, Duchess of Amra - Friend and (Eventually) Lover Up until the present day Nariel Amaar has been the strength and driving force behind the Terelain Throne, it is her resolve and compassion that has kept Nathaniel going through the stress and the dark times. She is the one that provides Nathnaiel's moral and emotional support, she is the one that keeps him going on the right path and he is completely devoted to her, may the Gods help anyone stupid enough to ever try to harm her. Category:N Category:Characters Category:Canon